Depression and Anger
Anger serves an adaptive function in our lives by mobilizing us to take action on a perceived threat. Depression makes us feel powerless, which can be perceived as a threat. These basic facts about our emotional lives set the stage for what can be a complex interaction between depression and anger. There is a clear correlation between anger and depression, but the complexity of the interaction leaves laymen and professionals to speculate about a specific cause-effect relationship between the two.
Psychological Predisposition for Anger
The functional impairment that comes with depression is a powerful source for developing a sense of frustration and irritability in anyone. It is more likely, however, for a person with a psychological predisposition toward anger to experience anger as a part of depression. Such predispositions are typically developed in childhood where we establish our thinking and behavioral patterns. Unhealthy environments and stressful life events in childhood influence the development of predispositions, such as responding with anger. Childhood abuse, neglect and trauma are frequently the forces behind the development of this predisposition.
The Influence of Gender
Some researchers have advocated the influence of gender identity as a link between depression and anger. Most men were raised to view personal weakness as a flaw in their masculine identity, the feelings of hopelessness and the psychomotor retardation which come with depression are frequently viewed as weakness, thus influencing a man to react with anger as a defensive and motivating force. Others speculate that most women were raised with the belief that anger is an unacceptable emotion within a feminine identity and get into a pattern of repressing angry feelings. It is thought that this internalized anger can create depression.
Emotional Coping Skills
Some speculation about anger and depression is based on the notion that poor emotional coping skills make it excessively difficult to experience the disabling effects of depression, and that anger becomes a way of masking or denying it. We can see this clearly in children who become depressed. They have not yet developed the emotional coping of an adult and frequently act out depression with anger or hostility.
Stress
Our stress-reactions are our personalized response to a challenging situation. Depression is one form of stress. The idea here is that anger becomes the response to the stress associated with symptoms of depression. Stress has been shown to be a precipitating factor in both depression and anger. This idea holds that stress causes two separate emotional states (depression and anger), which interact without a causal effect either way.
A Cycle of Depression and Anger
The relationship between depression and anger is also explored by conceptualizing the two emotional states as a self-perpetuating cycle. It is clear from research that angry people feel more isolated, experience more negative feedback and have recurring social conflicts. These negative events then create depression. An individual may attempt to cope with depression through more anger, creating a cycle of depression and anger with each contributing to the development of the other.
References
- When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within; Matthew McKay et.al.; 2003.
- Women, Anger & Depression; Lois P. Frankel; 1991
- The New Handbook of Psychotherapy and Counseling with Men; G.Brooks and G.Good; 2001.
